SF 805 
J.S67 
I Copy 2 



1 



- — 



REPORT 



UPON THE 



(fotettfcm uf Cattle Commissioners, 



HELD AT 



SPRLNGMELD, ILLINOIS, DECEMBER 1, 1868, 



AND UPON THE 



TEXAS CATTLE DISEASE, 



By EDWIN M. SNOW, M. D., 



DELEGATE FROM RHODE ISLAND. 





PROVIDENCj 

PROVIDENCE PRESS COMPAN* PRINTERS TO THE STATE. 

^^ 1869. 




tat* at |Mt § gtattd, fa. 



REPORT 



UPON THE 



Cimtafiim uf Cattle CflwtMSMtters, 



HELD AT 



SPBIffGPIELD, ILLINOIS, DECEMBER 1, 1868, 



AND UPON THE 



TEXAS CATTLE DISEASE, 

By EDWIN M. SNOW, M. D., 

DELEGATE FROM RHODE ISLAND. 



** 



House ot Representatives, March 3, 1869, — Ordered to be Printed. 



/ 

PROVIDENCE : 



PROVIDENCE PRESS COMPANY PRINTERS TO THE STATE. 

1869. 



REPORT. 



To His Excellency Ambrose E. Burnside, Governor of Rhode Island : 

Sir: — In accordance with your appointment, I proceeded to the 
city of Springfield, Illinois, as a delegate to the Convention 
of Cattle Commissioners, arriving there on the morning of the 
first day of the meeting, Tuesday, December 1, 1868. 

The convention met, by invitation of the Governor, in the 
State House at Springfield, and was composed of delegates from 
thirteen of the United States, and from the Province of Ontario, 
in Canada : in all thirty-six delegates. 

The convention was organized by the choice of Hon. Lewis F. 
Allen of New York, as President, with one Vice President from 
each State, and four Secretaries. There being only one delegate 
from Khode Island, he was on the list of Vice Presidents, and was 
placed on the prominent committees, and was also chosen as one of 
the Secretaries. 

The name of the convention was officially decided to be the 
" American Convention of Cattle Commissioners." 

A committee of one from each State was appointed to arrange 
and present business for the action of the convention. This com- 
mittee gave much time to the subject and finally presented a series 
of resolutions for the consideration of the Convention. These reso- 
lutions were carefully considered ; were discussed at considerable 
length, and were finally adopted with some amendments. They 



4 PUBLIC DOCUMENT. 

contain the deliberate opinion of the Convention in regard to the 
action necessary, not only to prevent the introduction and spread 
of the Texas Cattle Disease; but also with reference to the more 
generally important subject of preventing the introduction and sale 
of diseased and unhealthy animal food in our markets. 

By request of the Convention a copy of these resolutions has 
been forwarded by His Excellency the Governor of the State of 
Illinois, to the Governors of the other States in the Union. The 
resolutions are as follows : — 

" Section I. Article 1. Three Commissioners, or such other 
number as the Legislature may deem proper, shall be appointed 
by some competent authority, to hold office for five years, and 
shall report annually to the Legislature. 

2. Such Commissioners shall watch over the general welfare of 
the animals within the State for which they are appointed, and 
particularly to prevent the spread of dangerous diseases among 
them, and to protect the people of the State against the dangers 
arising from the sale of diseased meat. 

3. They may, from time to time, appoint such Assistant Com- 
missioners to aid them in the discharge of their duties, as the wel- 
fare of the public may require. 

4. They shall have power to administer oaths, and to prescribe, 
from time to time, such rules and regulations as may be neces- 
sary to accomplish the objects of their appointment. 

5. They shall give public notice of the outbreak of any danger- 
ous disease among animals, and shall publish such ['practical direc- 
tions for its avoidance as they may deem necessary. 

6. They may either place such diseased animals in quarantine, 
or cause them to be killed, as may seem to be necessary for the 
public protection ; but in the latter case they shall cause an ap- 
praisal of such animals to be made, and the county or State shall 
pay such proportion of the appraised value as may be provided by 
law. 

Section II. Article 1. The Commissioners, or any assistant 
Commissioner, located on the frontier of any State, shall, at such 
times as may be prescribed by the Commissioners have power to 
inspect all the animals brought into such State, whether by rail- 
road cars, vessels, or common roads, and shall have power to de- 
tain such railroad cars, vessels, or droves of animals on common 
roads, long enough to make a proper inspection of them for the 
purpose of ascertaining their sanitary condition. 



CONVENTION OF CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 

2. No animal shall be permitted to enter the State, which shall 
be deemed by such assistant Commissioner to be capable of spread- 
ing a dangerous disease, or of injuring the health of the inhabit- 
ants ; but an appeal shall be allowed to the Commissioners in all 
such cases. 

3. No train shall be allowed to proceed unless the animals con- 
tained therein have been supplied with food, water, and rest, within 
twenty-four hours next preceding the time of such inspection. 

4. All animals shall rest and have access to food and water for 
twenty -four hours after having traveled for a similar period. 

5. The railroad companies shall provide suitable yards for feed- 
ing, watering, and resting the animals traveling on their trains, and 
for quarantine purposes, which shall be kept in a cleanly and whole- 
some condition, to the satisfaction of the Commissioners. 

6. Each train, on leaving its point of departure, shall have a cer- 
tificate, signed by a Commissioner, or an Assistant Commissioner, 
w T hich shall certify that all the animals contained therein were in a 
healthy condition at the time of departure, and shall also state the 
exact time of its leaving ; and such certificate and endorsements 
thereon of the time of resting and the time of departure of the 
train, at subsequent resting and feeding places, shall be exhibited to 
the proper authorities whenever required. 

7. Proper penalties shall be inserted in the law to prevent the 
bribery of officers charged with the execution of its provisions, and 
also to punish those who interfere with, or resist the officers in the 
performance of their duty. 

Section III. Whereas, a malignant disease among cattle has 
been widely disseminated, by the transit of Texan and other south 
western cattle, through the western and north western States, dur- 
ing the warm weather of the present year, occasioning great loss 
to our farmers, and possibly endangering the health of our citizens, 
therefore, 

Resolved, That this convention earnestly recommends the enact- 
ment of stringent laws to prevent the transit, through these States, 
of Texas or Cherokee cattle, from the first day of March to the 
first day of November inclusive. 

Resolved, That the interests of the community require the enact- 
ment of laws making any person responsible for all damages tnat 
may result from the diffusion of any dangerous disease from ani- 
mals in his ownership and possession. 

At a subsequent period the following explanatory resolution 
was adopted : — 



O PUBLIC DOCUMENT. 

Resolved, That all Texas and south western cattle that have been 
ascertained to have been wintered in the States north of Texas 
should be considered as native cattle. 

A committee was appointed to select a name by which the dis- 
ease among cattle should be known. The committee recommended 
the name of Texas Cattle Disease, and this name was unani- 
mously adopted by the convention. 

The following resolution was also adopted : — 

Resolved, That this convention appoint a committee of six of its 
members, for the purpose of memorializing Congress to make suf- 
ficient appropriation to enable the War Department to fully and 
thoroughly investigate and report upon the nature, causes, mode of 
development, propagation and treatment of the Texas Cattle 
Disease. 

This committee consisted of Dr. Clendenin, of Ohio, Dr. Snow, 
of Rhode Island, Dr. Rauch, of Illinois, Mr. Gould, of New York, 
Dr. Townshend, of Iowa, and Dr. Miles, of Michigan. 

A committee was appointed to aid the Secretaries in supervising 
the publication of the proceedings of the convention, and by re- 
quest of Gov. Oglesby, of Illinois, this committee was instructed, 
after carefully preparing the report of the proceedings, to forward 
it Gov. Oglesby, who offered to see to its publication and distribution. 

This brief synopsis of the results of the convention is sufficient 
to show their general character, and the full official report, which 
will probably be received very soon, will give all further needed in- 
formation. 

But the official action of the convention shows only a small por- 
tion of the actual results. Besides the delegates, there were many 
gentlemen present who had had a large experience in the cattle dis- 
ease ; others who were interested in, and knew all about the cattle 
trade in Texas, and the transportation of cattle from Texas to the 
north western States ; others who own immense prairie farms, and 
purchase Texas cattle by hundreds and by thousands to fatten 
them for the eastern markets. A vast amount of information upon 
the subject was obtained from these gentlemen, and I have no 
doubt that all the delegates, at least those from the eastern States, 



CONVENTION OF CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 7 

were impressed, as they never were before, with the enormous mag- 
nitude of the interests involved in the cattle trade, and with the 
great importance to all classes in the community, that it should be 
properly regulated. 

Every portion of the country from Maine to Texas is vitally in- 
terested in this subject. The time has been when railroads were 
opposed in New England from fear that they would ruin the price 
of horses, and when the settlement of the great West was looked 
upon with dread, from fear that it would cheapen the price of pro- 
visions, and ruin the farmers of the East. So in Illinois, stringent 
legislation has been adopted to prevent the introduction of Texas 
cattle, from fear that it would ruin the cattle raising interests of 
Illinois. 

But the price of horses has been constantly increasing with the in- 
crease of railroads, and the value of provisions and the prosperity of 
New England farmers never were so great as since the West has been 
settled, and the introduction of hundreds of thousands of Texas 
cattle into Illinois, in spite of legislation, has only seemed to in- 
crease the value of Illinois cattle, and the prosperity of Illinois 
cattle growing interests. 

The time is probably past, in this country, when serious attempts 
will be made to check the inevitable course of events, with respect 
to the laws of trade, by legislation. The time has come when the 
hills of New England, the richer farms of the middle States, and 
even the boundless prairies of Indiana and Illinois, are all insuffi- 
cient to supply the demand for beef. We must have Texas cat- 
tle, and a considerable portion of our beef must, even now, come 
from Texas, or we must suffer from the deficiency. I saw, in one 
establishment in Chicago, the beef of one thousand cattle which 
were feeding on the plains of Texas only two weeks before. The 
same cattle could have been delivered in New York in less than 
twenty days from Texas. When New York wants, seriously wants 
beef, and Texas has an abundant supply which can be delivered in 
New York in twenty days, it is folly, it is worse than folly, to 
attempt to stop the supply by legislation. But if the cattle are 
cruelly treated, and the quality of the beef is seriously injured in 
the transportation, it becomes the duty of the government to in- 
terfere. 



O PUBLIC DOCUMENT. 

To return to the action of the convention at Springfield. An 
examination of the series of propositions adopted, shows that, with 
reference to the transportation of cattle, though they are of the 
highest importance to the people of Rhode Island, we have very 
little to do with their practical enforcement. We are located at 
the terminus of the line of transportation of cattle, and all laws 
regulating this transportation will be put in force and will produce 
all needed results upon the cattle, before they reach us. Our safety 
from the Texas Cattle Disease, as w r ell as our protection from the 
sale of unhealthy and diseased beef, depend to a very great extent, 
upon the vigilant guard of our friends in Illinois and New York. 
If the recommendations of the convention are adopted, and strictly 
enforced by those States, very few T cases of the Texas Cattle Disease 
will probably reach us. 

The recommendations, in section first of the series of proposi- 
tions already given on page four, relating to the appointment of 
Cattle Commissioners, are, however, of the utmost importance in 
every ^tate. A judicious Board of Commissioners, by giving " pub- 
lic notice of the outbreak of any dangerous disease" among domes- 
tic animals in the State, and by giving " such practical directions 
for its avoidance as they may deem necessary" would accomplish 
much good in the community. But aside from this duty with ref- 
erence to the outbreaks of disease among domestic animals, there 
is a constant and increasing necessity for the appointment of such 
a Board of Commissioners * to protect the people of the State 
against the dangers arising from the sale of diseased and unhealthy 
meat," and also to prevent cruelty to animals. Facts upon these 
points are occurring every day in this city, and elsewhere in the 
State, which if generally known in all their enormity, would and 
ought certainly, to arouse the people to action. 

There is also in this State a great and pressing need of regula- 
tions concerning the treatment of cattle in cars after they arrive 
within the limits of the State, and requiring railroad companies to 
provide better facilities for unloading cattle, sheep, and swine, and 
also requiring such corporations to provide food, drink, and shelter 
for animals when they cannot be removed immediately after their 
arrival. I cannot refrain from expressing the earnest desire that 



CONVENTION OF CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 9 

this subject may receive the attention of the General Assembly at 
the present session, and that efficient action may be taken in rela- 
tion to it. If nothing more is done, a Board of Commissioners 
might be appointed to examine the subject and report such legisla- 
tion as they may deem necessary, at the next session of the Gen- 
eral Assembly. 

It will be noticed that the official action of the convention, as 
already given, says nothing whatever respecting the nature, cause, 
mode of propagation, or treatment of the Texas Cattle Disease. 
These subjects, however, occupied much time in the convention, 
and the discussion upon them gave rise to the most opposite and 
conflicting opinions. In fact it would be extremely amusing to read 
a correct list of the directly antagonistic statements upon these 
points made to the convention, and all proved to be true " beyond 
all possible controversy." As nothing approaching a decision in 
relation to them was reached, it might perhaps be the wisest policy 
to omit all reference to them. 

There were, however, certain very important statements and in- 
formation brought before the Convention, which seemed to be well 
established, and to which 1 think the members of the Convention 
would very generally give their assent. Some of those statements 
which seemed to be established, are as follows : — 

1. Texas cattle do not have the Texas Cattle Disease in Texas, 
and very rarely after being brought to more Northern States. 

2. A similar disease is common among the horses in Texas. 

3. Texas cattle, when brought to the more Northern States, 
though apparently healthy themselves, do communicate the disease 
to the native cattle of those States. 

4. Cattle, whether brought by the river route or driven over 
land from Texas, communicate the disease to the native cattle of 
the more Northern States ; but much the greater portion of the 
disease in Illinois, during the year 1868, was communicated by 
the very small portion of the cattle that was brought by the 
river route. 

2 



10 PUBLIC DOCUMENT. 

5. Cattle, native of the more Northern States, though they take 
the disease, and die from it, very rarely if ever, communicate it 
to other cattle. 

6. Grown up native cattle are much more susceptible of the dis- 
ease than calves or yearlings ; and sucking calves very rarely take 
it, though their mothers may die with it. 

7. Native cattle kept in pastures, or yards adjoining those in 
which Texas cattle are kept, do not take the disease. 

8. As a general rule, for native cattle to take the disease, it 
seems to be necessary that they should graze where Texas cattle 
have grazed. 

9. Generally, no ill effects are known to have followed the use 
of the milk or flesh of the diseased cattle, though there are a very 
few apparent exceptions to this. 

10. The disease as seen in New York would seem to have been 
of a more aggravated character than at the West. 

11. The enlargement of the spleen is found in all cases of the 
disease, and is perhaps the only easily detected change that is 
found in all cases. 

12. No cure for the disease has been found. Carbolic acid is 
very valuable as a disinfectant, and as a preventive ; but should 
be used with caution. 

With reference to the Cause of the disease, the official action of 
the convention says nothing, and there was no settled uniformity 
of opinion in relation to it. The subject was, however, discussed 
at considerable length, and two prominent theories were presented, 
concerning which certain facts seemed to be well established. 
These two theories of the cause of the disease, may be called the 
Spore theory, and the Tick theory. 

With regard to the first or Spore theory, the investigations of the 
New York Board of Health under the direction of Dr. Harris, and 
those of Dr. Rauch, the able Sanitary Superintendent of Chicago, 
established certain facts as follows: 

In the blood of all native cattle sick with the Texas disease, 



CONVENTION OF CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 11 

without exception, there were numerous microscopic spores, the 
blood was disorganized, the corpuscles were broken down, and 
largely diminished in quantity. The same spores were also found 
in the gall and other secretions of the sick, cattle. These same 
spores were also found, to some slight extent, in the blood of ap- 
parently healthy Texas cattle ; but never in the blood of healthy 
native cattle. So much for established facts. 

It was supposed that these spores were similar to those found 
on certain plants in Texas, but this was not established. Dr. 
Morris, of New York, in a series of very interesting experiments, 
took the spores from the blood of diseased cattle and placing 
them on certain substances, in certain conditions of heat and mois- 
ture, succeeded in propagating them and even making them bear 
fruit, which again produced the spores. 

But these experiments did not establish the connection between 
the spores, and the destruction of the blood corpuscles and the dis- 
organization of the blood, in the Texas Cattle Disease ; nor did 
they show whether the spores were the cause or the result of the 
disease, and there is, apparently, as good reasons for believing the 
one as the other. 

The theory that the spores are the cause of the disease, supposes 
that these spores are brought from Texas, in the blood of the Texas 
cattle, that they escape in the excretions of these cattle, that they 
are received, of course very few in number, into the systems of 
native cattle, grazing on the same ground, and that when thus re- 
ceived into the blood of the native cattle, they increase in quantity 
by natural growth, with great rapidity, destroying the blood cor- 
puscles, disorganizing the blood, and producing this terribly fatal 
disease. 

It might be difficult to explain why, the spores that are acknowl- 
edged to exist in the blood of Texas cattle, do not increase and 
produce disease in them as well as in the native cattle. According 
to the usual laws of disease, we should expect that the Texas cat- 
tle, debilitate :l and broken down by the terrible effects of their 
transportation from Texas, would suffer from the disease much 
sooner, and much worse than the native cattle, in the full vigor of 



12 PUBLIC DOCUMENT. 

health, on their native soil. But the facts are, that the Texas cat- 
tle remain healthy, and yet communicate this terrible disease to the 
native cattle who die from it by thousands. 

I think it must be admitted that farther investigation and more 
experiments are necessary, before placing full faith in the theory 
that the spores are the cause of the Texas Cattle Disease. 

With regard to the second, or Tide theory of the cause of the dis- 
ease, it seems to be established that all or nearly all the Texas 
cattle, on their arrival in Illinois, were infested with ticks ; that 
the cattle which came from Texas by the river route, had many 
more ticks than those which came by the land route ; that these 
ticks on reaching their full growth, fell off and perished, each tick 
producing myriads of eggs ; that when these eggs fell on the ground 
it required a period of from six weeks to two months for them to 
hatch ; and that at this time the small ticks were found in immense 
numbers, covering every blade of grass and other vegetation where 
the Texas cattle had been kept. 

The supposition of the supporters of the Tick theory is, that at 
this time, when the vegetation is covered with these minute ticks, 
the native cattle eat them in large numbers and are themselves 
soon covered with them, and that by the internal and external ef- 
fects of these myriads of ticks, the disease is produced. 

In support of this theory it is said that the disease appeared in 
all cases simultaneously with the appearance of the small ticks. 
Many instances are given in which native cattle were kept in the 
same pastures with the Texas cattle, with no ill effects whatever 
until the end of six weeks when the disease appeared. Portions 
of the same lot of native cattle which were removed from the pas- 
ture at different periods up to thirty days, all escaped the disease, 
without exception. Other native cattle which were put into the 
pasture with the Texas cattle previous to the end of six weeks, 
became sick at the same time with those that had been in the pas- 
ture all the time, namely when the small ticks appeared. 

Other reasons in favor of the Tick theory of the cause of the 
disease, may be given as follows : 



CONVENTION OF CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 13 

1. The Texas cattle that are brought in crowded boats by the 
river route, have infinitely more ticks, and also produce much more 
disease among native cattle, than the Texas cattle that are driven 
overland. 

2. Native cattle do not take the disease from being driven over 
dry roads where Texas cattle have been driven, nor from transpor- 
tation in cars where Texas cattle have been transported, nor from 
being kept in cattle yards with Texas cattle ; it is necessary that 
they should graze where Texas cattle have grazed and some weeks 
after the Texas cattle are placed in the pasture. 

3. The disease, and the ticks, disappear when the weather be- 
comes cold and frosts are seen, and the transportation of Texas 
cattle and their mingling with native cattle are perfectly safe dur- 
ing the winter season. 

4. The tick theory explains how the Texas cattle, though appar- 
ently well themselves, may give this terrible disease to native 
cattle. 

5. Sucking calves do Dot eat grass, and very rarely have the dis- 
ease though their mothers die with it. 

6. The disease itself has more the characteristics of a disease 
rusulticg from animal than from vegetable poisoning. 

So much for the Tick theory. If it be true, the question arises 
why the ticks produce such terrible effects upon the native cattle, 
and none whatever upon the Texas cattle in the same pastures. 
It is also important to make the proof of the theory complete, to 
show that eating the ticks will really produce these effects. 

It is evident that further investigation is necessary before believ- 
ing implicitly that the ticks are the cause of the disease, though it 
must be confessed that so far as we can judge, from our present 
information, the tick theory gives a more reasonable explanation 
of the facts than the spore theory. 

If the ticks are the real cause of the disease, its prevention will 
be comparatively easy. It will only be necessary to prohibit the 
transportation of cattle from Texas, during the hot weather, and 
this happens to be the measure which the delegates to the con- 



14 PUBLIC DOCUMENT. 

vention generally believed would be sufficient to prevent the dis- 
ease, and the measure which was officially recommended by the 
convention. 

If the ticks are the cause of the disease, it is probable that the free 
use of dilute carbolic acid, about the cattle yards, in the cattle 
cars, and upon the cattle, would destroy the ticks, and entirely pre- 
vent the disease. The experiment is certainly worth a trial. 

If the ticks are the true cause of the disease, we are not called 
upon to believe the most absurd doctrine, that cattle suffering from 
abuse and privation, and weakened by hunger and thirst will com- 
municate a malignant epizootic typhus to fat, healthy cattle, in 
their native pastures, while the debilitated and suffering cattle es- 
cape the disease entirely. 

If the ticks are the cause of the disease, the disease itself is the 
result of an animal poison, and is not an epizootic disease which 
is liable to spread through the country, and become acclimated at 
the North. 

It is certainly important to the whole country, that the true 
cause and nature of the Texas Cattle Disease should be speedily 
determined beyond all controversy, and it is to be hoped that the 
investigations already proposed and commenced will accomplish 
this object. 

Respectfully submitted, 



Providence, March 2, 1869. 



EDWIN M. SNOW, M. D., 

Delegate from Rhode Island. 



$9. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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